Prep Hoops: Lutheran settles for fourth at state

Saturday

Mar 22, 2014 at 6:11 PMMar 22, 2014 at 9:39 PM

By Jay TaftRockford Register Star

PEORIA — For the second day in a row, turnovers and a shooting slump spelled doom for the Lutheran Crusaders.

And for the first time all season, they lost back-to-back games. Following Friday’s three-point loss to Lincoln in the Class 3A state semifinals, the Crusaders fell 55-45 to Chicago Orr in Saturday’s third-place game.

“Yesterday they packed it in on us. Today they went full-court zone on us and sped us up,” forward Nate Wieting said after posting 12 points and 11 rebounds, but also 10 turnovers. “I just made too many mistakes; mistakes I shouldn’t be making. This wasn’t the way we wanted to go out.”

The Crusaders, who had the most 3-pointers in the state coming into the tournament, made just 3-of-13 in each half of Saturday’s loss. And after Friday’s 15-turnover defeat, they were forced into 19 on Saturday.

“They just weren’t falling like they normally are,” Lutheran head coach Tom Guse said. “And the turnovers, you have to credit the team we were playing. We made physical mistakes out there, and those you can live with a little easier.”

Thomas Kopelman (11 points and eight rebounds) drained a 3-pointer right out of the gates and had a fast-break layup to help the Crusaders bolt out to a 17-7 early lead. But sparked by a crowd-pleasing, one-handed dunk from Louis Adams (23 points and seven rebounds), Orr rattled off a 14-0 run that spanned two quarters, and swung momentum in a big way.

“It was all stemming from our defense, and we knew it would,” Adams said. “Defense got us this far, and we were going to stick with it. This was how we play defense.”

Lutheran made just one of its 10 shots in the second quarter, and shot 31.4 percent (11-for-35) from the field for the game, including a rough 23.1 percent from 3-point land.

Still, Kopelman’s top-of-the-key 3 in the middle of the fourth, and point guard Kendall Lawson’s two free throws with 3:12 left, helped them cut the lead to 44-43. While the Crusaders were still not hitting the shots they did in bunches this season, they found a way to climb back.

“What made that run at the end was simple: This is a bunch of guys with character and heart, that were not going to end their season without continuing to fight until that final buzzer,” Guse said. “That’s why they were in Peoria to begin with, because of their ferocious intensity to win. And that’s why we got back into the game.”

Adams soared through the lane for a quick two shortly after, however, and three straight Lutheran turnovers helped Orr close the game — and the season — on a 12-1 run.

The locker room for Lutheran, which also finished fourth in 1994 and took third in 2012, was a quiet one.

“It’s pretty emotional. We’re sad that we lost, but it’s even harder that we lost and now the season’s over,” junior guard Joe Kellen (12 points and four steals) said. “Some of these guys ended their careers here, and it’s going to be tough going on without these seniors. They’re our friends, and our brothers.”